Catalonia fails to confirm Mas as official leader, independence push under threat

Catalonian pro-independence parties are at risk of missing the deadline to form a regional government after a key far-left group refused to back incumbent regional leader, Artur Mas, for reelection.

One of the wealthiest regions of Spain, Catalonia, has to name its regional president by January 10 or face a new local election.

Last September, Mas’s ruling conservative Convergence party and the Republican Left of Catalonia teamed up under the ‘Together for Yes’ alliance to snatch 62 seats in the 135-seat Catalan parliament.

But the alliance still lacked a workable majority without the ten seats that were won by another pro-independence faction, the far-left Popular Unity Candidates (CUP) party.

In December, the parties supporting secession approved a resolution calling for the creation of an independent Catalan republic within 18 months, a move almost instantly blocked by Spain’s Constitutional Court.

On Sunday, Republican Left deputy, Joan Tarda, posted a controversial tweet, suggesting that "If Mas steps aside and lets another party member opt for presidency, we can form a government and the independence process goes forward."

Catalonia is a northeastern region of Spain, which has a population of 7.5 million people and represents nearly a fifth of the country’s economic output.

According to the polls, most Catalans support the idea of a referendum on independence, but are divided over secession from Spain.

The Spanish government in Madrid has ruled out the possibility of Catalonia’s independence, labeling the push for it illegal.